Did you hear that?

Do you ever listen to the rhetoric in prayers? We say some silly things sometimes. One thing that gets me everytime is when we pull out the King James talk. You can take the most laid-back, regular ole' southern guy who speaks with a drawl and probably couldn't tell you what the Elizabethan period is, and then stick him in front of a microphone and he starts sounding like Hamlet. Why?! What is the point?

One more and I'll stop complaining. By the way, I do have a point, I think. What's the point of praying to God that "everything we do will be done in spirit and truth"? First of all, we have taken that one statement from Jesus out of content and absolutely beaten it to death. Here's the other thing, why do we say that to God? What control does He have over the decisions we make in our worship? Either we worship scripturally or we don't. Are we asking God to accept our worship, regardless? I doubt it. Is it that we're asking that He step in and zap us if we're about to do something wrong so that we don't do it? I hope not. If you really think about it for a moment, it's easy to realize how silly that statement is.

Okay, if you're still reading, thank you. Here's my point. Let's start being more thoughtful about our prayers and less robotic. Let's focus more on talking to our creator, our sustainer and our best friend; and worry less about sounding religious or saying the right thing. Let's stop trying to be religious (or show how religious we are) and just start talking to God like He's the most important being in our life.

Do you pray for your children?

Do you pray for your children? Most people would answer yes. We are usually consistent at joining together the two greatest parts of our life - our faith and our children. Let me offer you a suggestion to take that a step further. Talk to your children about your prayers. Try, this week, to have an intentional conversation with your children about your prayers on their behalf. Ask them what they would like for you to pray about. And do the same with them. Ask them to pray for you and share what it is you need their prayers about. Also, tell them what you have been praying for.

You will be surprised at the blessings you will both receive from this experience. It will deepen your relationship - horizontally and vertically.

Somtimes All We've Got is . . .

Prayer.

I've walked through valleys when it seemed that the mountains were closing in, and every decision was the wrong one. Ever felt like that?

I've tried to logically think through the situation, making a list of pros and cons and even asking for advice. But in the end, all the answers led me to consequences that I was trying to avoid. Ever experienced that?

It's often a slow and sometimes painful experience. That is, getting to where God is standing and patiently waiting for me to meet Him at. But in the end, no matter how long it takes, I always end up on my knees in prayer. Ever tried that?